


Zutto Odorou

by radokami



Series: Youniverse [1]
Category: Love Live! School Idol Project, Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Drinking, F/F, Trans Character, Trans Female Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-17
Updated: 2020-02-17
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:41:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22778857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/radokami/pseuds/radokami
Summary: Alternate title: You Has a Writing Credit on G Senjou no CinderellaA night on the town might be just what You needs to cheer her up when she's dysphoric. Mari's betting on it.
Relationships: Nishikino Maki/Sonoda Umi (minor), Ohara Mari/Watanabe You
Series: Youniverse [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1904785
Comments: 4
Kudos: 38





	Zutto Odorou

_You_.

That was the name she had chosen for herself after a single afternoon spent scrolling through baby names on a private browser tab. Never mind the months, years of working up to that single act; once she found it there was no going back, no slowing down, no keeping quiet when Chika mentioned trying to start an idol club during their second semester at college.

“I want in,” she had blurted out, taking only a second to collect herself before continuing full steam ahead and admitting to her best friend that she was, in fact, a girl.

That she was _You_.

In one moment, You had defined so much of her current reality: the way her friends addressed her, the way she spent her free time, even the way she spoke because _come on_ , “Yousoro” was just too good to pass up.

The following semester was proving to be a period of adjustment, but her new friends in Aqours helped make it about as painless as it possibly could be. Not to mention that dancing was super fun apparently? On a good day it would make everything fall away until the only sensations left were the heart beating, the blood flowing, the limbs waving, the steady chanting of _1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8_. All that and the feeling that You was, for a moment, the truest version of herself that ever was. On a good day.

Today was not a good day. Today, You was too tangled up in everything she disliked about herself to let go. She didn’t walk right, talk right, _sing right_ , dress right - she just wasn’t the way she was supposed to be. Never mind if any of that was _true_ , she felt it and that was enough. This wasn’t exactly an uncommon occurrence. In fact, it had been a large part of what had pushed her this far, and one reason she always looked forward to Aqours practice was because it helped to lift that weight. But today it wasn’t to be, so You was spending the cooldown period after practice slumping against a handrail and sullenly staring at the ground. Not exactly nonchalant, but she could hardly care at present.

So it wasn’t really a surprise when someone came to check on her. The surprise was _who_ , punctuated by a startlingly foreign-sounding accent asking, “My, are finals so close already? I could’ve sworn I had a few more weeks before I have to start freaking out.”

You looked up to see one Mari Ohara, a junior who had joined Aqours fairly recently. You wasn’t quite as familiar with her as she wanted to be, but Mari’s presence was unforgettable. As if her accent wasn’t enough to make her stand out, she always had her blonde hair up in some slightly improbable style. Lately she was keeping a tuft of it in a loop on one side of her head. How did she even do that?

Her mischievous smile faded. “It’s a joke, you know? You look pretty glum over here, so I thought you could use a little pick me up. Is everything okay?”

Where to begin? “I’m just kinda…” You trailed off as she considered how much to share. “I don’t feel like I’m quite there yet.”

“Oh yeah, with the dance routine?” Mari grinned furtively. “It is a tricky one.”

“No, that’s not it.” You planned to leave it at that, but something about Mari made her want to continue. Oh, what the hell. “I feel like I’m… not enough of a girl.”

Mari’s expression shifted to absolute scandal. “Where could you possibly get that idea? Everyone in Aqours knows that You Watanabe is one of the cutest idols on campus! Maybe even _the_ cutest!”

You wanted to take the compliment, but her mood had too much inertia. She let her gaze fall back down to the ground in front of Mari. “I’m sure you do, but sometimes I don’t. Like right now.”

Mari knelt to meet You face to face again and grabbed her hands. “Well, we can’t have that, now can we? You, of all people, deserve to feel like an adorable, _shiny_ girl. I know one thing we could do about that.”

You raised an eyebrow.

“Let’s go on a date!”

A _what_. You was momentarily shocked out of her malaise as her mind cranked into overdrive imagining what Mari wanted to do. Mari’s giggle told You that she was blushing, probably really hard, in response to getting asked out by, let’s be real, the hottest girl in Aqours.

“Of course, it doesn’t have to be romantic. I just want to show you a really good time and maybe help you feel a bit better about yourself.”

“That sounds…” Terrifying? Maybe even a waste of time? “Nice.” Even if it didn’t go exactly right, the thought of being led around by a pretty girl and shown a good time was so intoxicating as to override You’s doubts.

“Great! How’s Saturday sound?”

You managed a nod.

“Alright! Now, assuming you can manage until then, see you Saturday?”

* * *

Friday night, You’s mind had run wild with all the ways this could go wrong. Saturday, she was more concerned with the now. For one thing, her hair wasn’t long enough - it would barely even stay up in a tiny ponytail. She wasn’t exactly sure how much she wanted to wear it like that, but that wasn’t the point; the point was that she barely trusted her mirror to tell her she looked okay enough to go on a date with Mari Ohara. Mari deserved to see You at something approaching her best, though, so she cleaned herself up the best she could.

It was a mercy when the doorbell rang and You got to rush down the stairs to answer it. Sure enough, there was Mari Ohara, looking about the same as ever - that is to say, killing it.

“Oh. My. God!” Mari began in very loud English. “ _You_! You’re adorable! I can’t believe I get to go out with _such_ a cute girl!”

“You’re just saying that,” You deflected. Even though she had resolved to try for Mari’s sake, she didn’t feel any cuter than usual. Maybe it helped that she had ditched the sweatpants, but that was a pretty low bar.

“Well, how else am I supposed to compliment you? Should I text instead?” Without waiting for a reply, Mari whipped out her phone and sent something with disconcerting speed.

You opened the message to find a sticker of an anime girl making heart eyes. Somehow, this was what it took to poke the tiniest hole through the fog surrounding her. She smiled.

Mari grinned triumphantly. “I knew you’d see it my way. Now get in the car, we have places to be.”

You stayed silent as they pulled away from her house and headed toward their first destination. Part of her mind was rapidly cycling through all the places they could potentially be going, another was trying to calculate exactly how cool she should try to come across in order to feel worthy of Mari, another still stewing in the same murk that had been keeping her down for the past… week? Two? Who knows. She noticed she had been idly staring out the window but had no idea what part of town they had wound up in. It looked _expensive_ , in the way that pristine white storefronts always do. Was Mari taking her shopping?

“Now, I know I said you were cute, and I stand by that one hundred percent,” Mari began as she pulled up to what looked like a formal clothing store. “But what I have in mind for tonight is gonna take... a different touch.”

It was all You could do to keep her jaw from dropping as they entered. Every single suit, coat, and gown in the shop _radiated_ elegance - any given one of them probably cost more than You’s entire wardrobe. She glanced up at Mari in distress. Surely she didn’t intend to _buy_ one of these for her? If this was just the beginning, she could hardly imagine what Mari had planned for the rest of the night.

“Try to keep your head on, You,” Mari said, giggling at You’s reaction to the shop’s interior. “We haven’t even started picking out your outfit!”

Was she _really_ doing this? You could feel her head spinning despite Mari’s advice, but managed to follow her date to a section lined with simple yet gorgeous gowns. Her eyes were immediately drawn to a fairly simple blue one - it was the best color, after all - but again she looked to Mari for direction, approval, anything.

Mari, however, was intently watching You. “It looks like one caught your eye already, no? And such a pretty one, too…”

You followed Mari’s gaze back to the blue gown - or maybe it would be more accurate to call it a dress - and started taking in its details. It was dignified, but in a cute way. The shoulders were covered only by a layer of translucent material that hugged the dress down to the waist. The bottom half had several flowing layers, in increasingly light shades of blue, with the outermost layer lined with - were those pearls? It would be excessive if the dress reached the floor, but it looked surprisingly short for such an _elevated_ article of clothing.

“You should definitely try that one on,” Mari whispered into You’s ear.

This was already approaching too much. You shook off the goosebumps on her neck and once again resolved to try for Mari. “Um, who do I ask about that?

Mari gestured to a counter at the back of the shop, currently attended by two people dressed only a bit less nicely than the mannequins. You put on her bravest face and led the way back, hoping all the way that she wouldn’t get any weird looks for asking to try on a dress.

In fact, the whole process went so smoothly that it was all a blur to You, and before she knew it she was in a dressing room, staring stonefaced at her own reflection. She was wearing a _dress_ , and as cute as it looked on the shop floor she couldn’t shake the idea that no article of clothing could ever truly flatter her. At least it fit. She might as well find Mari and get an opinion that was at least biased in the other direction.

She found herself stepping out, all dressed up, but alone. “Uh, Mari?”

“Right here, just a second!” Mari called out from another dressing room. “I also came to pick up my outfit, you know.”

In the moment before Mari revealed herself, You felt a horrible tension rising in her gut. What if she looked _so_ bad that even Mari couldn’t pretend?

But that train of thought crashed into a brick wall when Mari came out of her dressing room looking - _stunning_ wasn’t a strong enough word for how good she looked. She wore classy black dress pants, a pure white dress shirt with sleeves already rolled halfway up her forearms, and a purple vest, restrained yet vibrant. It was so simple that You was kind of surprised, but it also fit in a sort of intuitive way. Just as Mari’s hairstyle wasn’t actually that unusual apart from the loop on the side, the shade of her vest was just the Mari touch that the outfit needed. You couldn’t hold it back any longer. Her jaw dropped.

For her part, Mari looked pleasantly surprised as well. “Wow, and here I was thinking I’d have to help you pick something out. You have great taste, You! That dress suits you _so_ well.”

“Are you sure?”

“‘Am I sure,’ she says. If you don’t believe me, see for yourself!” She grabbed You and turned her so that the two of them were standing side by side, looking at a large mirror.

Then something just _clicked_. They both looked... fine. Maybe even great. Of course, Mari was in a league of her own, but something about seeing herself next to Mari relaxed You’s impulse to critique her reflection. They looked like girls - both of them - nicely dressed up girls ready for a night of… what _did_ Mari have planned anyway?

“Well?” Mari probed. “How do we look?”

She was gonna make her say it, was she? “We look good,” You muttered.

“Didn’t quite catch that, dear.”

“We look _good_ ,” You said emphatically, just as much to move the conversation forward as because she believed it.

“You’re damn right!” Mari might as well have been shouting, the rest of the shop was so quiet by comparison. “So let’s get going!”

You followed Mari, half in a daze. Was this date working? This was only the prelude, and already You was buzzing internally, the pleasant shock of looking and feeling just a bit more okay hinting at a high that could very well last all night. This was almost too good to be true, she figured, it couldn't really be this easy - unless Mari was just _really_ good at cheering her up. Maybe You could rely on her for this kind of thing moving forward. Yeah, that was a nice idea. _Really_ nice.

It was only once the sunlight hit You’s face that she realized they had already left the store. She shook the daydream out of her head exaggeratedly to get Mari’s attention. “Wait, Mari. You didn’t just buy these outfits, did you?!”

“Missed that part, hm?” Mari chuckled. “Yeah, it’s no big deal. I was just having some alterations done to mine, and now you have a nice dress. It works out for everyone!”

You made a quick mental note - _don’t let Mari spend this much on her next time_ \- and then they were off to their next destination.

Once again, Mari was the one to break the silence as she drove. “Do you know which club I was in before the idol club?”

“No, which one?”

Mari gave that same mysterious smile from the other day. “The ballroom dance club.”

You blinked rapidly. “That’s a thing?”

“Of course! You didn’t think Aqours were the only ones that did any dancing around here, did you?”

“I… did, I guess?” You hadn’t explored the clubs when she started college, preferring to stick with Chika and keep her head down whenever people were tabling or passing out flyers on campus.

“Then allow me to illuminate you.”

Just as You was starting to recognize where in town they were, Mari pulled up to the curb and it fully clicked. They were on campus, but not a part that You frequented. She was vaguely aware that there was a building here, but it was relatively far out of the way and unassuming.

“Welcome to my old practice spot, You! It should be pretty empty right about now, come on.”

You did a quick scan of the surrounding sidewalks, faintly afraid at the prospect of someone seeing her so dressed up, and hastily followed Mari to the door. She only felt her shoulders untense when it shut behind them and Mari hit the lights to reveal a large, empty room with a mirror for one wall.

“So… what are we doing here?” You had a decent idea, but wanted to hear Mari say it.

“The club is hosting a dance tonight, open to the public. They’re probably all working on setting that up right now, so we have time and space to make sure you know what you’re doing.” Mari posed and turned to face You. “ _Do_ you know any steps outside the realm of idols?”

“Would you believe me if I told you I never really danced before joining Aqours?” You grinned nervously.

“Well, you could have fooled me!” Mari’s voice reverberated through the room. “You sure seem to know what you’re doing at practice!”

“Nah…” You waved her hand dismissively. “I just get wrapped up in it easily. I kinda just do my own thing most of the time.”

“That’s more important than you realize, You.” Mari took her hand and started leading the two of them in a very simple, if uptempo series of steps. She was clearly confident; she didn’t pause to count, letting the tapping of her soles on the floor keep time for them. “I like how freeform the dancing is in the idol club. You can only do the foxtrot so many ways before it gets boring...” She trailed off as she formulated a conclusion to her thoughts. “But I don’t know if I’d ever get bored of dancing with you.”

It wasn’t until Mari finished talking that You realized how _easy_ it was to just follow her lead, stepping and spinning in time with whatever song was in her head. You glanced at the mirror and saw _herself_ , and Mari with her, almost silently gliding back and forth through the room. She noticed a melody bouncing off the walls, slowly building from nothing. A quick glance up at Mari revealed it was her, humming in time with the rhythm of their steps. It was a vaguely familiar tune, bouncy and lively, jazzy and poppy, but You couldn’t quite place it.

“What song is that? I feel like I’ve heard it before.”

Mari’s humming decrescendoed as she reached the end of the phrase. “Oh, not much of anything, just something I’ve been working on. Kanan and Dia wanted to write a song for just the three of us, and I kinda wanna see what they’d do with a jazzier sort of tune. I’m sure Dia would have a _great_ time with it.” She smiled almost devilishly this time.

You might have voiced a reaction to that idea, but she was starting to slip away into the pure physicality of dancing with Mari. There were the familiar feelings, the rhythmic pulse that had ingrained itself in the both of them, her legs moving, her heart pounding - but she wasn’t really exerting herself, was she? Oh God, this date was _working_ , wasn’t it? You wanted to just keep stepping and twirling with Mari, alone in this room, to no music, for the rest of the night.

That obviously wasn’t to be. Mari caught You as they came together and stopped her in her tracks, seemingly satisfied. “Well! No sense dancing ourselves ragged before the main event even starts, let’s go!”

And so Mari whisked them away yet again, stopping only briefly at her car to grab something small and nondescript and stash it in her vest pocket before venturing further toward the center of campus on foot. The sun was already starting to set, if just barely, and there were hardly any people to be found even as they reached the most trafficked spots. Seemed about right, for a Saturday evening. Luckily they were close enough to the rest of town that they managed to duck into a nondescript, college town sort of hole in the wall for a quick bite before the dance. You held her own through the relative small talk the two of them made as they waited for their food, but was distracted by how overdressed she felt.

Visibly so, apparently. “Tell me, You,” Mari began after a lull. “How does it feel to be the most beautiful girl here?”

You’s eyes widened. _Cute_ was one thing, but _beautiful_?

Mari grinned with satisfaction. “No arguments this time? Good, I’m proud of you.”

There was no sense deflecting it anymore, but more to the point, “I’ve uh, never been called beautiful before.” You laughed nervously.

“Well, it’s true, and you deserve to hear it, and I wanna say it, so it works out, no?”

Mari was making this look effortless. Just as well, You figured, not to have her date tripping over how to talk to her every time they tried. “Thanks, Mari.”

“You can thank me later, we haven’t properly danced yet! Also, our food’s here.”

So the conversation wound down as they ate in surprisingly comfortable silence. Mari made little fanfare when the time came to head to the dance itself, wordlessly rising and taking You’s hand to lead the way there. It had only been, what? Half an hour at most? But now there was a small swarm of people on campus, all dressed just as nicely as You and Mari, in various flavors. Some wore traditional outfits - coats with tails and long, flowing gowns - while others were comparatively bold like Mari.

You felt that tension rising again as they reached the door of the venue, a large all-purpose hall typically reserved for events like these. As Mari threw open the door, it came to a head. Sure enough, the crowd was even denser inside, everyone dressed to the nines and mingling with an air of effortless dignity that made You blush. Was this really just a bunch of college kids? Where did they all _come from_? She, and her flirty dress, and her flushed cheeks, and her amateur performance of womanhood didn’t belong here. She sought refuge in someone who obviously did, letting go of Mari’s hand to link elbows. You clung to her arm for dear life, in hopes that she might inconspicuously disappear.

Mari responded with a chuckle. "Stage fright?" She rubbed You's shoulder reassuringly.

Oh God, they hadn't even made it to _that_ part. All You could do was tighten her death grip on her date.

"Well, we do have a bit of time to relax. The jazz will come later, so we can watch the waltzes for a while." She scanned the immediate surroundings and, satisfied that nobody was watching too closely, retrieved what she had stashed in her pocket earlier: a small, silver flask. She shook it slightly as she presented it to You. "This might help take the edge off in the meantime."

You wasted no time grabbing the flask, unscrewing the cap, taking a swig of whatever was in it, and immediately reeling as her throat burned in protest. Was that _vodka_? It sure didn't taste like anything else, or anything at all, really. You spent a moment noting that she needed to learn how to drink straight liquor properly and returned the flask. Hopefully one sip would do the job.

They found a seat at one of the tables at the periphery of the dance floor, and in short order the well-mannered cacophony died down as the floor cleared to make way for the first set of dances. A group took the floor in measured steps, each pair of dancers synced up almost perfectly.

“Is this the ballroom dance club?” You whispered to Mari.

“Part of it, yeah. They like to show off their routines before opening up the floor to everyone. We’ve got a little time, so feel free to take another drink.” Mari grinned and slid her flask to the center of the table.

A set of speakers at the end of the room started playing some stuffy-sounding classical music. Decidedly not You’s thing. She considered if these dancers could teach her anything, but as the dancers started up and the music plodded along, that started to feel like a rather distant possibility. She shrugged, reached for the flask, and took another sip. This time she knocked it back quickly enough that it didn’t come back to haunt her, but she still had to bite her tongue to keep from audibly reacting to it.

The next routine or three went by in a nondescript blur after that. You clapped along as the latest group of dancers left the floor and another came up, dressed this time quite differently. Ruffled shirts and red gowns - did they do latin dance too? You noticed Mari shift forward in her seat, watching a lot more intently now. Her gaze was apparently trained on one specific dancer, a redhead in one of those ruffled shirts, hair pulled to the side in a short ponytail, eyes half-shut in what could have been either boredom or intense concentration - it was hard to tell which at the moment.

As the dance started, the redhead’s expression revealed itself to be concentration. She performed in truly perfect sync with her partner, whose long bluish hair swept back and forth beautifully as they deftly twirled and jumped. You had no idea who these people were, but she didn’t blame Mari for being interested in them. Not only was this dance more kinetic, the music more lively, this specific pair of dancers was mesmerizing to watch. This time, You’s applause was more genuine, and she turned to Mari as if to confirm that the routine really was as impressive as she thought, but her applause was shockingly reserved. What were her standards even like?

Mari seemed to notice the incredulity creeping onto You’s face as she turned to explain herself. “That was another school’s club! Guess they’re having a proper competition soon, because I did _not_ expect to see Maki here.” She calculated for a moment, then grinned her devilish grin again. “I’ll have to introduce you two if we get the chance.”

You sensed history here, history that she wasn’t sure about just dropping into. She did believe that Mari wouldn’t put her in the middle of anything on a date specifically about cheering her up, but... 

She took another sip from the flask.

Her head started swimming, not so much that it was overwhelming, but definitely too much to ignore. You tried to exercise some self-control and closed up the flask, sliding it back across the table in Mari's direction.

"Done for now?" Mari gave a look of mock disappointment before opening the flask herself. "Just as well, the floor is opening up. Let's get dizzy!" With that strange call to action, she tipped back the flask, draining it faster than You thought possible. Either You had drunk more than she realized, or Mari was some kind of pro.

At last, they rose as the music switched to a familiar style of big band swing and the floor slowly filled with a less organized mass of guests. Even though the sensation of a thousand eyes staring her down was dulled by the relative crowding and the vodka, You still felt helplessly tense as Mari took her hand and they began stepping in time. She took a deep breath and tried to slip away into the flow of the dance, but it clearly wasn't going to be that easy. It was, however, all too easy to overthink. You hadn't even fully processed it until now, but this was technically the first time she had ever danced in front of people outside of Aqours. _So much_ could go wrong right now.

Why wasn't it?

Why was this working? Why was it going so well? Why was a squeeze from Mari's hand all it took to snap You back to the moment, a smile enough to make her heart pound in her chest like she was about to take a high dive? Why was watching Mari draw her back in from a spin so, _so_ reassuring? Why did it feel so good to see her steal glances at one side of the room every now and then, as if to show her date off to that Maki?

You knew.

The alcohol might have been helping, but the usual physical sensations were nowhere to be found anymore, all she could feel was her elated heartbeat and her intense blush. It felt like she and Mari were the only ones in the room, and every time they made eye contact, the feelings intensified, until she felt like she was going to explode. She got an idea.

_Do it_

She had no idea how many songs had passed by now, but this one must be getting close to the end.

_Don't do it_

She met Mari's gaze and didn't look away. God, her eyes were beautiful.

_Do it_

The music built to its climax, brass blaring and vocals soaring.

_Do it_

You stepped close, looked up at Mari, and

_Do it_

Planted a gentle kiss on her lips, just for a moment, as the music faded out and the dancing lulled. 

Mari's shock lasted only as long as the kiss, then immediately gave way to a completely inscrutable smile as she chuckled under her breath. "And here I was thinking I'd have to make the first move!"

_What_

You had no time to process further than that as they came to a standstill and Mari reciprocated with a kiss of her own, a bit bolder, lingering a bit longer.

And there it was. The clarity You had sought through all the dancing she had done today, that had come echoing faintly as they practiced, that was now singing within her. Or was that just the music starting up again? You resumed the dance with a vigor exceeding anything she had felt all day, confident at last, looking only at Mari, smiling so wide it was starting to make her face hurt.

"Mari."

"Yes, You?"

"Let's dance forever."

It was corny, but that was beyond You's capacity to care about at this point.

Mari, for her part, didn't seem to take it that way. "Ooh, that's good! Do you mind if I use that in my song?"

"Uh, sure?" That was a much more favorable reaction than You was expecting, but wasn't that just the theme of the night at this point?

With impeccable timing, the music wound down for the last time not long after the exchange. The world beyond Mari Ohara faded back into view, and You saw the dance floor gradually clear out, heard the mingling from before resume, suddenly realized how tired her legs were. But she still felt as clear-headed as ever, and nothing could wipe the enormous smile off her face as she headed for the exit with Mari.

“I think this counts as a good date, don’t you?” Mari asked in an almost sing-songy tone, blushing just as brightly as You must have been.

“Pretty great, yeah.” You wasn’t sure if she could ever properly describe to Mari just how good she felt right now. “Do you think we could maybe… do this again sometime?”

“Developed a taste for ballroom dancing now, have you?”

“Not exactly…” You felt her pulse quickening again. “I mean, go on another date. I feel like I could do _anything_ with you and have a good time.”

“If you’re saying what I think you’re saying…” Mari paused as if for dramatic effect. “Then I feel the same way.”

You’s heart almost leapt out of her chest, and her tongue tied itself in an impossible knot. There was nothing to do but take Mari’s hand and kiss her again. You didn’t have the widest frame of reference, but she was pretty sure she had never seen Mari this happy. Good thing, too. It was mutual.

They were almost outside when Mari scanned the room one last time, and by the way she perked up it seemed she located her target. Sure enough, Maki approached with her dance partner wrapped around her arm in much the same way as You was entangled with Mari.

“Ms. Nishikino! What a surprise to see you here! You’ve been well I trust?” Mari greeted her… rival? Without waiting for a response, she continued. “I’d like to introduce you to my girlfriend, You Watanabe.”

 _Girlfriend_. Hearing it aloud was a new high in a series of new highs. Still too flustered to speak, You just waved vaguely in Maki’s direction.

“Nice to see you too, Umi.” Mari added to Maki’s partner, who nodded politely but remained silent. What was the deal between Mari and these people?

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, You,” Maki began with a genuine warmth behind her words that faded as she turned her attention to Mari. “I’m uh, happy for you, but did you only come by to gloat?”

“Kinda, yeah.”

“That’s Mari for you.” Maki rolled her eyes.

“It's a joke! Have a little faith in me, geez. Your dancing was brilliant as always, Maki. We were completely entranced, weren’t we, You?”

You nodded along and finally managed to speak. “It was really beautiful.”

“Hmph…” Maki blushed very conspicuously. “I liked watching the two of you as well.”

“That’s right,” Umi chimed in at last. “I don’t know where Mari found you, Ms. Watanabe, but you really held your own out there.”

 _Ms. Watanabe_. You clammed up again and could only salute in response.

“It’s been a while, though, Mari.” Maki continued. “Planning on making it to the next event?”

Mari exchanged a look with You, then smiled resolutely. “We just might be. Keep an eye out for Aqours performances too! If you’re into idols, at least. Ciao!”

Maki looked slightly befuddled as they continued out the door, but that was that. Mari looked satisfied with the strange note she left off on, and the pair remained mostly silent as they made their way back to the car.

“So uh,” You tentatively broke the silence. “Girlfriend.”

“Yep." Mari squeezed You’s hand to punctuate the point. "If you’re okay with that, of course.”

“I’m... _really_ okay with that.” You paused to collect her thoughts before they came spilling out of her. “I just… thanks for today. For the dress, and the dancing, and the uh, vodka, and the affirmation and all that. I really needed a day like today.”

“That was the idea, no?” Mari’s smile threatened to light up the darkening street like it was midday. “And I’ll be glad to go all-out like this whenever else you need it. I’m here for you, You.”

You wanted to rest her head on Mari’s shoulder, but alas, they had reached the car. The conversation lulled again as they headed back to You’s place, but at last You found the silence comforting. For now, she felt more secure than ever. She almost drifted off to sleep in the car, but was shaken out of her daze as they pulled up to her house at last.

Without a word they embraced on the doorstep, neither quite ready to let go.

“You know what I’m excited for?” You asked, trying not to get a mouthful of Mari’s hair as she held on. “That song you’re writing. I can’t wait to hear it.”

“Well, now the pressure’s on, huh?” Mari broke the hug and held You’s shoulders. “I can’t wait to show you.”

They shared one last kiss, and You’s heartbeat ran as wild as the first time. She blushed as she wondered how many more times it would take to get used to it, or whether she ever wanted that rush to go away at all. She’d have plenty of time to figure that out.

“And I also can’t wait to see you again,” Mari said with a wink. “Until then, You.”

You waved goodbye and shakily made her way just inside before collapsing against the door - she would’ve gone for the floor, but her dress was officially too precious for that now. Today was a good day. A _really_ good day. She ran through it all in her head, trying to make sense of everything, wondering if she could really live up to the person she had been today.

_You. Ms. Watanabe. Mari Ohara’s girlfriend._

That was a lot to measure up to, but it was _her_. The truest version of her.

**Author's Note:**

> I just really wanted to spoil You okay
> 
> This is another idea that just popped into my head and demanded to exist. It kinda got away from me as I wrote it (it's like 2k longer than I had imagined) but I think it turned out okay. Hopefully this is my last diversion before I finish up the D&D fic lmao
> 
> As always, Asallia provided that little push I needed to make this workable, so thanks for that uwu


End file.
